Brad Brownell suffers another close ACC loss

Story from Clemson SID:

Clemson rallied from a 17-point deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie or win in the final seconds, but Tanner Smith’s baseline shot fell off the rim and Virginia Tech escaped with a 67-65 victory on Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies improved to 13-10 overall, 2-6 in the ACC. The Tigers dropped to 11-11 on the season, 3-5 in conference play.

AUDIO: Brad Brownell postgame interview with Pete Yanity

K.J. McDaniels almost single-handedly put the Tigers on his back in the second half, as he scored eight of his team-high 14 points to lead Clemson’s gritty effort after a horrid offensive start to the game. He made 7-of-11 field goals, which included five dunks. He also had five rebounds and five blocked shots in a career-high 28 minutes of action.

The Tigers had four players in double figures. Andre Young also posted 14 points, 10 in the second half. He struggled shooting the ball from the field, making only four of 13 attempts. But, he was perfect from the charity stripe in four tries. Devin Booker added 11 points and 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. Tanner Smith also reached double figures with 10.

Virginia Tech was led by Jarell Eddie, who scored a game-high 15 points. He was supported by 12 points from freshman Dorian Finney-Smith and 10 from Erick Green.

The Tigers return to action at home on Tuesday, Feb. 7 against the Maryland Terrapins. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM at Littlejohn Coliseum in a game that will be televised by ESPNU.

Milton Jennings will not play Saturday at Virginia Tech

Clemson coach Brad Brownell announced Friday junior forward Milton Jennings will remain suspended for Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. Jennings was suspended indefinitely earlier this week for a class attendance issue and did not play in Tuesday’s loss at Virginia.

The Tigers are 11-10 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. They are still looking for their first road win of the season.

Tomorrow’s game tips at 4:00 in Blacksburg.

AUDIO: Brad Brownell previews Virginia Tech

Dabo Swinney

Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret said Friday the announcement of the dismissal of receiver Joe Craig from the football team was not intentionally delayed until after the conclusion of Signing Day. According to a Clemson University police report Craig was involved in an altercation with two females early Sunday morning. One of the females is the mother of his four month old baby. She, along with Craig, were arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal domestic violence. That charge is a misdemeanor.

Clemson announced Craig’s dismissal from the team via a release shortly after 8:00 Wednesday night. In the release Swinney stated, “Joe Craig has been permanently dismissed from the Clemson football team for a violation of team rules. We wish him the best as he continues his academic and athletic career.”

On Thursday afternoon it was reported Craig had been charged with criminal domestic violence. The timing of the story led to some speculation that Clemson sat on the story until after Signing Day. Bourret said he does not know when head coach Dabo Swinney first learned of the latest incident, but he knows Swinney was not informed of the facts of the case until Tuesday.

Bourret said Swinney was in Georgia part of Tuesday, and after learning of the details of the incident from Dr. Loreto Jackson, he then made the decision to dismiss Craig. Bourret said the release was not put out until Wednesday night because he was tied up with Signing Day duties during the day on Wednesday.

Further complicating this case is the fact that Craig was involved in an altercation with a female track teammate in May of last year. That incident started with an argument at a pool party and ended with Craig reportedly hitting the female over the head with a towel rod after she cut his arm with a razor blade. Clemson University Police were called to the scene and filed a report, but no arrest was made. Craig and the female were transported to the hospital by track coaches and called the incident minor.   Several legal experts said at the time it was out of the ordinary that no assualt charges were filed, but the Clemson police captain said they followed protocol.

In June Swinney suspended Craig from summer workouts and announced in July at his preseason Golf tournament that Craig would be also suspended the first three games of the season.

“Joe’s a good kid,” Swinney said at the time. “This is an unfortunate situation. You know there’s consequences for your actions. He’s a guy that, you know, I believe in and hopefully at some point he will come back and help us win the ACC this year.”

Craig finished last season with three receptions for 18 yards in seven games this past season. He also lettered on the Clemson outdoor track team during the spring of 2011.

In preparation for Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining the conference, the ACC announced that it will expand conference schedules and introduce a new scheduling model for both football and basketball.

ACC commisioner John Swofford praised the universities in the conference, stating, “It’s a tremendous tribute to the leadership at our schools that we will be able to seamlessly add Pitt and Syracuse at the appropriate time when they become full playing members.”

Football conference play will expand from eight conference games to nine on Syracuse and Pittsburgh officially join the ACC.  Pittsburgh will join the Coastal Division and Syracuse will join Clemson in the Atlantic Division.  The new scheduling model will allow teams to play all six other members in their division, its primary crossover rival, and two rotating opponents from the other division every year. 

The list of crossover rivals goes as followed: Clemson-Georgia Tech, Duke-North Carolina, Virginia-Virginia Tech, Miami-Florida State, Syracuse-Boston College, Pittsburgh-Maryland, and NC State-Wake Forest.

Basketball conference play will expand from 16 games to 18 games starting next season.  The new scheduling model is based on a three-year cycle where teams play every other team at least once a season, with a rotating home-and-home series with four opponents, along with a home-and-home series with their cross division rival (listed above). 

The conference said that creating a more competitive balance was the driving factor behind the new scheduling models, but the new formatting will end some traditional basketball home-and-home rivalries.

Joe Craig

According to multiple reports Clemson wide receiver Joe Craig’s dismissal from the team stems from an arrest on a criminal domestic violence charge. The Clemson police report indicates Craig was involved in an altercation with the mother of his baby Sunday morning.

This isn’t Craig’s first incident involving a female. On May 22nd the former Gaffney High standout was in a bloody altercation with a female track teammate that landed both of them in the hospital. Police were called, but no charges were filed.  The fact that no one was charged in the incident puzzled some legal experts.  The Clemson police department told SportsTalkSC.com that no special treatment was given to Craig or the female  because they were athletes. 

Dabo Swinney suspended Craig for three games for that incident. Craig was also not permitted to workout with the team during the summer.  Swinney expressed support for Craig when he announced he would be allowing him back on the team.

“Joe’s a good kid,” Swinney said at his media golf tournament on July 19th. “This is an unfortunate situation. You know there’s consequences for your actions. He’s a guy that, you know, I believe in and hopefully at some point he will come back and help us win the ACC this year.”

Joe Craig

Wide receiver Joe Craig has been dismissed from the Clemson football team.  Head coach Dabo Swinney made the announcement on Wednesday evening.

“Joe Craig has been permanently dismissed from the Clemson football team for a violation of team rules,” said Swinney. “We wish him the best as he continues his academic and athletic career.”

Craig was a red-shirt freshman wide receiver on Clemson’s 2011 team.   He finished the season with three receptions for 18 yards in seven games this past season.  He also lettered on the Clemson outdoor track team during the spring of 2011.

Dabo Swinney

By: Rixon Lane

The Clemson Tigers wrapped up a solid recruiting class today. Clemson’s class of 2012 will have twenty members, eight of whom have already enrolled. Head coach Dabo Swinney spoke about the incoming class today.

Dabo talks about the new class

Dabo Swinney Part 1

Swinney talks about two-sport athletes

Dabo Swinney Part 2

Swinney wraps up class, talks about Mike Bellamy

Dabo Swinney Part 3

The NCAA might have to make a rule regarding the use of fast food restaurants as a recruiting tool.

When four-star LB Cassanova McKinzy from Birmingham, Alabama announced that he would play his college ball at Auburn, choosing the Tigers over Clemson, most took it as just another signing day decision.  However, when asked why he chose Auburn over Clemson, he gave a surprising answer.

“They [Clemson] have no Chick-Fil-A on campus.” (scroll to bottom)

Wait. What?

McKinzy cited other reasons for staying in his home state and playing for Auburn, but the Chick-fil-A and other food reasons seemed to play a major factor.

While the reasons for McKinzy’s decision is a bit head-scratching, the bottom line is that Auburn got a committment from one of the top linebackers in the country, and I’m sure they’ll take that no matter how they got it.

It should be noted that there is a Chick-fil-A located on 1061 Tiger Blvd. in Clemson.  It should also be noted that Clemson and Auburn play each other in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game to start the college football season. Irony at its finest.

Joe Harris had 19 points in Virginia's win over Clemson (Photo: Virginia SID)

Story by Clemson sports information:

Virginia went on a 23-8 run in eight minutes to open
the second half in a crucial stretch as Virginia defeated Clemson 65-61 on
Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers, who trailed at the half
30-26, improved to 18-3 on the season, 5-2 in the ACC. Clemson fell to
11-10 with the loss, 3-4 in league play.

Devin Booker led the Tigers in scoring, with 16 points for the second
straight outing. The Whitmire, SC native hit a pair of three-pointers and
was also 4-of-4 at the line. Tanner Smith added 14 points, including 11
in the second half. Clemson shot 41 percent for the game, but Virginia
shot an astounding 55.8 percent from the field and won the rebound margin
34-19.

Mike Scott was outstanding for the Cavaliers. The senior All-ACC
candidate poured in a game-high 23 points. He was supported by Joe
Harris’ five three-pointers and 19 total points.

AUDIO:  Brad Brownell post game news conference

Somewhat surprisingly, the two defensive-minded clubs came out exchanging
baskets. The Tigers took an 11-10 lead on a layup inside by Catalin
Baciu, but Scott answered with his fourth basket in the opening six
minutes to make it a one-point UVA lead. A three by Joe Harris made it
15-11 in favor of the Cavs, but Baciu answered with another basket in the
paint to cut it to two before even the first media timeout, which didn’t
come until the 11:32 mark of the opening half.

Consecutive baskets by K.J. McDaniels pushed Clemson ahead 17-16, before
an Akil Mitchell follow gave the lead right back to UVA as the defenses
began to settle down. Clemson held a 23-20 lead after a third inside
bucket by Baciu. But, Harris answered with two inside scores and the
Cavaliers were back in front 24-23 at the 5:21 mark.

The Tigers held a 30-26 lead at intermission after holding Virginia to
just two points over the course of the final five-plus minutes in the
opening stanza. The Cavs hit just five of their last 15 field goal
attempts, while Devin Coleman provided the final two points of the frame
from the free throw line.

The second began much in the same fashion as the first, with the two teams
hitting shots early on. Smith drilled his second three of the game, but
Harris answered with a second trifecta of his own to pull UVA to within
two at 35-33. Sammy Zeglinski followed with another triple, giving UVA
its first lead since the opening half. UVA opened the lead to 41-35, its
largest of the game, but Devin Booker answered with a three.

The lead extended to 49-38 in favor of the Cavs on an inside basket by
Darion Atkins. Clemson trimmed the deficit to 51-45 on consecutive
baskets by Smith, first a triple from the wing and then a leaner in the
lane. Clemson cut it to five the next possession, but the Cavs responded
with more outside shooting from Harris. He hit a three at 6:54 to push
the lead right back to 10 at 56-46 before T.J. Sapp responded with a long
ball of his own, his first since the Boston College game on Jan. 12.

The Tigers cut it to four on a pair of free throws by Booker with 3:14 to
play. Malcolm Brogdon scored his only hoop of the game on a putback off
his own miss to put the lead at 59-53 with under three to go. Booker’s
second deep ball of the game cut the lead to just three with 58 seconds
left. The Tigers had the ball with under 25 seconds to go still down
three, but Andre Young’s three-pointer was off and Scott rebounded it. He
made both free throws to provide the five-point gap. Smith made a three
to cut it to 63-61, but again Scott stepped to the line and calmly made
both to provide the final count.

The Tigers return to action Saturday, also in the state of Virginia.
Clemson will play at Virginia Tech at 4:00 PM in a game televised by the
ACC’s Regional Sports Network.

Final stats

T.J. Burrell

Here at SportsTalk, we are continuing our coverage leading up to National Signing Day by catching up with as many recruits as possible.  Tonight we talked with Goose Creek standout linebacker T.J. Burrell, a Clemson recruit, about the recruiting process and his decision to join the Tigers.

Burrell is an active and aggressive linebacker with very good feet and pursuit ability. He lacks ideal size, is more of a space/weakside guy that seems to be emerging to defense the spread offense.

AUDIO: T.J. Burrell Interview